


I Never Wanted to Leave You

by CascadingSilver



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: (But he doesn't remember it), (But he finds out), Basically it's an AU where Merlin cast a spell, Blinky as James Lake Sr. AU, Blinky is Jim's bio dad, Don't copy to another site, Father's Day fic, Gen, I haven't seen that particular AU written out yet, I will update again and finish this story I just don't have time right now, So that makes him Jim's bio dad), and he became James Lake Sr, on temporary hiatus, so i did it myself, that made Blinky turn human for a couple of years
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-05-12 14:42:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19231198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CascadingSilver/pseuds/CascadingSilver
Summary: Nineteen years ago, Blinky disappeared. He reappeared eight years later, but with no memory of where he had been or what he had been doing.Eleven years later, Blinky is the trainer of Jim Lake, Jr, the current Trollhunter.Everything changes one day when the newly-human Blinky discovers a photograph of a young Jim and a man that must be James Lake, Sr... but looks a whole lot like Blinky's current human form.





	1. Photographs and Discoveries

**Author's Note:**

> I know I said I wouldn't be posting anything over here until I finished my Omens project, but that's hit a roadblock and I knew I wanted to do something TrollDad-ish for Father's Day, so here we are.
> 
> I'm probably going to post other stories before I finish Omens, so there's that, I guess.

His three human charges do not know this, but nineteen years ago, Blinkous Galadrigal (better known as Blinky) disappeared. Oh, he returned some eight years later, but no one knew where he was during that time.

Not even Blinky himself. 

All he knows is that, one day, he woke up and started to go about his day, and then- nothing. The next thing he remembers is waking up in the forest with no recollection of how he got there. 

He had been found by a scout, luckily, and returned to the safety of Trollmarket and his friends

He had been shocked to learn that he had missing for _eight years_. Vendel had apparently sent search party after search party out to find the lost scholar for fear he'd been kidnapped, but it had been to no avail. 

It was like he'd disappeared off the face of the Earth. AAARRRGGHH!!!, stubborn soul that he was, hadn't _ever_ given up hope. The Krubera had gone out as often as he could, searching high and low for his lost friend. 

AAARRRGGHH!!! had been _so relieved_ when he had turned up. Blinky was, however, unable to answer any questions about where he had gone. 

Where had he been? He didn't know.

What had he been doing? No recollection if that, either.

Why had he disappeared? Absolutely no clue.

Eventually, the strange incident had been shrugged off, everyone unanimously electing to go on with life like Blinky had never vanished.

Blinky, though, could not forget. How could he, when he was the one who had disappeared?

He remembered some things, sometimes, in his dreams: a child's laugh, two sets if brilliant blue eyes, a soft hand in his own.

It made no sense, and the scholar tried his best to push the thoughts away. They were just images, he told himself, conjured up by his mind to fill the gaps in his memory.

Blinky buried the "recollections" deep in his mind over time, thinking that they would never be important. 

Oh, how wrong he was.

~~~

The only thought on Blinkous’ mind currently was to _hide_. He first had the misfortune of getting _eaten_ by Gatto along with Tobias, then the misfortune of turning human, and now he was trapped on the second floor of Master Jim’s house with his mother at the foot of the stairs. This was very bad; if Barbara came upstairs, it would only be a matter of time before he was discovered. 

He did _not_ want to open that can of worms, as the human saying went. 

He finally managed to catch Jim’s eye, the teen blanching when he realized the situation his mentor was in. 

Glancing at his mother, who was preoccupied with Tobias and Claire, who had just burst in, Jim made a shooing motion with one hand. 

_Attic,_ he mouthed frantically, not knowing where else a strange, unknown man could hide in the upstairs of his house. 

Blinky nodded and ducked out of the stairwell, not even questioning where to go for the attic. 

He would wonder about this later, about how he knew the access for the attic was a hatch in the ceiling in what looked like Barbara’s room. He did not question it then, though; he let his new, human body go on autopilot, grabbing the short rope and carefully, as quietly as he could, opening the hatch and letting the ladder drop down slowly. 

He clambered up, pulling the ladder up behind him and closing the hatch gently as soon as he entered the space. 

It was hot and stuffy, sunlight that streamed in through the one lone window illuminating the dust Blinky had kicked up in his entrance. 

He breathed a sigh of relief. No one would find him up here. 

The scholar took a seat on a storage container, not noticing when he disturbed a stack of boxes. 

Blinky suddenly caught motion in his peripheral vision. Whipping around, he saw that he had set in motion a chain of events that had led to a box falling off a stack.

Hurriedly, but careful to not make a sound, Blinky caught the box, gasping quietly when several photographs slid out and fluttered to the floor. 

Setting the box down carefully, the scholar bent down and started to pick up the photographs- and froze. The picture he was holding featured Jim as a young child, eyes big and bright, with an older man who shared the same black hair and sparkle in his eyes. By the two’s resemblance, Blinky numbly inferred that his was James Lake, Sr., Jim’s father who had abandoned him and his mother. 

But there was one thing that was off. In the Lake’s bathroom, Blinky had seen his reflection in the mirror.

And to his bewilderment, his current appearance perfectly matched the man’s depicted in the photograph.

“How…?” Was the only thing he could think to say, or think at all, really. How did he resemble the man in the photograph? How was this even possible?

How would Jim react to this?

Jim… had not had a reaction to his current appearance beyond disbelief that his mentor had been turned human. That begged the question of whether or not Jim even _remembered_ what his father looked like. 

(If he did, he hadn’t shown it.)

Still, how would Blinky explain this to his charge, for he would tell him. How could he not, when he inexplicably resembled Jim’s absent father so greatly? 

Or… or not so inexplicably.

The thought hit Blinky like a Gyre at full speed, the memory of his eight-year absence bubbling up unbidden. He had returned to Trollmarket eleven years ago… and eleven years ago, Jim had five years of age, the age when his father had left him. 

It couldn’t be, but there were no other explanations that made more sense than the one staring the scholar in the face at that very moment. 

_Blinkous Galadrigal was James Lake, Sr., father of James Lake, Jr._

~~~

The realization haunted him throughout the day. Everything made a bit more sense now; he and Jim shared the same tics and body language, and now that Blinky was human, he could see the resemblance in their faces. 

He had ultimately decided to keep his discovery to himself, contrary to his initial decision, for how does one tell their charge that why are actually their father who abandoned them on their fifth birthing day?

He would tell Vendel, Vendel would know what to do. Well, he hadn’t known what to do when Blinky turned human, but the point still stood. 

On the other hand, his recollections of those eight years missing were very relevant now. Why hadn’t he connected the dots earlier? The blue eyes he saw in his memories were exact duplicates of Jim’s.

Well, it was time to get some answers.

Poking his head into the Heartstone dwell, Blinky spotted the Elder tending to an unfortunate Troll who had managed to somehow get several Gnomes attached to their hair. 

Blinky waited, nervously tapping his foot. How would he explain this predicament? Stroll up to Vendel and say, _Do you remember how I was missing for eight years? Well, I think I somehow turned human during that time and sired a whelp who is now our current Trollhunter and my trainee._

No, that most likely would not go over well. 

Finally, the Gnome-ridden Troll left, and Vendel appeared to busy himself with putting away the tools generally used for Gnome-removal. 

Blinky hesitated by the dwell’s entrance, jumping slightly when Vendel growled, “Come out, Blinkous. Lurking in my doorway will get you nowhere.”

“Er… yes,” Blinky mumbled, stepping into the room. “…Do you have a minute?”

“Yes, if you refrain from taking too long,” The Elder grouched, folding his arms behind his back. Blinky swallowed nervously. 

“Ah, well… do you have recollection of my disappearance a number of years ago?”

“When we searched the Earth for you? Yes, I remember. We expended too much of our resources on you, in my opinion. What does it have to do with anything?”

Blinky chuckled awkwardly and continued. “I, ah, may have discovered a clue to my whereabouts during that time.”

Vendel turned a critical eye onto the scholar, and Blinky drew the incriminating picture out of his pocket, fumbling to unfold it and show the Elder. Vendel took the proffered scrap of paper with a quirked brow ridge. 

“…And what does this human artifact have to do with your disappearance, Blinkous?”

Blinky wrung his (two) hands. “Just- just look, please.”

The Troll sighed and examined the photograph, brow raising even further. 

“This is the Trollhunter as a whelp, yes?”

Blinky nodded. 

“…And might this be you?”

“That’s the thing,” Blinky mumbled. “my reappearance coincides with the disappearance of Master Jim’s father. And you can see that the man in the picture- who I suspect to be James Lake, Sr., Master Jim’s father- looks an incredible amount like my current form.”

Vendel glowered. “Speak plainly, Blinkous. You are dancing around what you are actually trying to say.”

“Well, I- uh- I,” Blinky gulped. “I- I believe what I am trying to say, Vendel, is that… that I am James Lake, Sr. I am Jim’s father.”

The words, the confession, came out in a hushed jumble, and Blinky hung his head, ashamed, for he was a man who had abandoned his family. Granted, his leaving had not been intentional (not to his knowledge), but he had left all the same. The thought weighed heavy upon his conscience. How would he explain this to Jim? That his trainer, someone the boy trusted, was actually the man who had abandoned him and his mother? If Barbara were to ever find out about Jim’s occupation as Trollhunter, he most likely would find himself explaining his role as Jim’s father-

Oh. Oh.

_Barbara._

If Barbara was Jim’s blood mother, which she was, and Blinky was, in fact, Jim’s blood father, then that would mean he and Barbara had been-

“You’re spiraling.” Vendel’s grouchy voice broke Blinky’s train of thought ( _he and Barbara?! Jim’s parents?! Them?! Together?!_ ) and pulled him back to the situation at hand. 

“This needs to be confirmed before you go off telling everyone about it,” Vendel continued, waving his staff at him, his tone of voice brokering no argument. “have you anything of the Trollhunter’s?”

“I would not tell anyone!” Blinky retorted, but as he did, he pulled out the smartphone Jim had lent him. 

“So you can communicate with us at anytime,” the boy had explained, smiling as he handed the device over. It was the device Blinky now handed to Vendel, warning the Elder to not _break it, please, they are very expensive to humans._

Vendel _harrumphed_ , taking the smartphone carefully. “It eludes me as to why humans would create something so delicate as something they use all the time. No matter; it will suffice. Blinkous, come here.”

Blinky complied, curious. How would a smartphone of Jim’s allow Vendel to confirm whether they were related? 

He got his answer soon enough. Vendel took a gem from a box on the table and started to chant, waving the gem over the smartphone and then over Blinky. The scholar watched in wonder as the gem started to pulsate in a warm, red tone. It almost reminded him of a heartbeat, either human _or_ Troll. Vendel’s chant crescendoed, and the gem took on a brighter hue before dulling to a bright red pinpoint. 

“Ah,” Vendel murmured. “it seems you were correct, Blinkous. The Trollhunter is your son.”

Blinky’s breath hitched. Jim was his son. His own child. This beautiful boy, who’s heart shone brighter than the Heartstone itself, was of his own flesh and blood. The knowledge settled itself in his heart, warming him from the inside out. It was true that he had already begun to see the human as his own before learning of their actual relation, but the reassurance that he was truly his son filled him with a joy he had never before felt. 

Blinky cleared his thought, shaking himself out of his joyful stupor. “What was that for, Vendel?”

“A simple spell, though quite effective.” The Elder waved a hand. “It detected the Trollhunter’s aura and compared it to yours.”

“Ah.” Blinky nodded, though he didn’t quite get it. How had a gem detected Jim’s aura on a device he had given to Blinky? “Besides that, how on Earth did I _become_ human?”

Vendel gestured with his staff. “As you don’t remember those eight years, I suspect sorcery changed you. _Powerful_ sorcery.”

“Sorcery?” Blinky echoed. That would make sense, he supposed. Though who would be powerful enough to cast such a potent spell?

“Yes. Now hold still; this amulet will give us an idea as to the nature of this spell cast upon you.” The Elder held an ancient amulet in his rough hand, taken from the table. He held it near Blinky’s head, and he flinched, half-expecting the other to hit him with said amulet. 

Instead, the amulet took on a soft green glow, illuminating its face and drawing the Trolls’ eyes. 

“Ah,” Vendel growled, “I suspected as much.”

“What?” Blinky asked softly, still entranced by the glowing amulet. 

“This appears to have been Merlin’s doing.”

“Merlin?!” Blinky squawked. “Are you quite sure?!”

Vendel grumbled. “It appears as such. It was his Amulet, after all, that Chose our current Trollhunter. I would not be surprised if he somehow made it so the father of the first human Trollhunter was a Troll, as well. It would give the Trollhunter an advantage. A foot in both worlds, yes?”

Blinky was silent. It was a lot to take in, after all: not only was he a father for so long without knowing it, his child, his _son_ , was the Trollhunter he was currently training. The mantle of Trollhunter was a heavy one, and one that almost always ended in tragedy. There had only been one Trollhunter in the entire history of Trollkind that had died peacefully. All others had fallen in battle. And now, a _child, Blinky’s child_ , was the Trollhunter. 

And he would be _damned_ if he let his son go into battle without support. 

He had two options now: keep his discovery to himself, or tell Jim and risk being rejected. Both were not ideal, but what else could he do? For all that he was proud of his intelligence, Blinkous Galadrigal could not think of a better solution.

The thump of Vendel’s Heartstone staff drew his attention. The Elder was staring at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

“What will you tell him, Blinkous?” Vendel spoke, the question loaded with sympathy. It wasn’t easy, he knew, to find out you had a child you had abandoned years ago and had not recollection of. 

Blinky opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. “I… I-“

“Blinky?” Jim’s voice. Blinky whipped around to find Jim ( _the Trollhunter, his son, his son was the Trollhunter_ ) at the entrance to the dwell. How much had he heard? Did he know Blinky was actually his father who had abandoned him and his mother-

“You okay?” Jim spoke, interrupting Blinky’s internal downward spiral. “I was looking for you, and AAARRRGGHH!!! said you came here. The sun didn’t actually hurt you, did it?”

Blinky have an imperceptible sigh, relieved. Jim _hadn’t_ heard. “I am fine, Master Jim. I merely had an inquiry for Vendel.”

“Oh, okay. Good.” Jim smiled, and the scholar was struck once again again by the knowledge that this boy, this noble, worthy soul, was of his own blood. 

“I got worried,” Jim continued, heedless of Blinky’s rumination. “I mean, this is, like, the first time this has happened right?! It’s crazy!” The boy flung his hands up, gesturing widely as he approached his mentor. 

_Oh, Jim, if only you knew._

“Ah, I am alright,” Blinky chuckled. “tell me, are Tobias and Claire with you? It would do the three of you good to get in a little sparring practice.”

“Yeah, they are. I think they’re in the Forge?”

“Good, good.” Blinky clapped a hand on Jim’s shoulder and led him out. “Now, what has Draal taught you lately? We should incorporate this techniques into your training, as well.”

“So, yesterday, he taught me how to…”

As Jim chattered on, Blinky cast a look over his shoulder, meeting Vendel’s eyes. 

_I’ll tell him soon,_ the scholar’s eyes promised. _Just not yet._

_I don’t want him to reject me._


	2. Meetings and Re-Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim has now gone into the Darklands, and Blinky, fearing rejection, STILL hasn't told him. But when he has the chance to save both AAARRRGGHH!!! and Jim from death, will he finally tell someone- tell his friends, tell Jim- what the Trollhunter is to him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyy, I'm very sorry this wasn't out sooner. I had this written up in my notebook a week ago, but I hadn't had the chance to type it up until today. Oof. 
> 
> Also, the title for this chapter is from the Gunnerkrigg Court chapter of the same name. (I thought it fit quite well)

Jim was gone.

They had fought Angor Rot and AAARRRGGHH!!! was _dead_ and Jim had gone into the Darklands _alone_ to rescue Enrique.

And Blinky hadn’t yet told him he was his son. 

He pressed his chalk even harder against the stone he was writing on. Plans. He needed to think of plans to get his boy back.

Jim- Jim could be _die_ in there. He could already be dead. He could be dead and unreachable and Blinky would _never get to tell him he was his father-_

The chalk broke.

Blinky sighed and scrubbed at his six eyes. He was so tired. He hadn’t slept in… he didn’t know how long. 

It had been over a month since he found out, and he had managed to avoid Barbara all that time. Who knows what would’ve happened if they had met.

It probably would’ve ended in Blinky getting hurt (even though it technically wasn’t his fault he left her and Jim). Barbara was a fearsome woman.

But this line of thinking wasn’t helping. He needed to focus. He needed a plan. They all needed a plan.

Claire was worried about Jim and Enrique.

Toby was mourning AAARRRGGHH!!! and worried about Jim.

Draal watched over Barbara and feared for the Trollhunter.

They needed _hope._

 _Even the word “hopeless” isn’t void of hope,_ his brother used to say.

He needed to stick to that school of thought. He would create hope, then. For the children, for Draal, for himself.

He scribbled out a failed idea with a new piece of chalk.

“I will be strong,” Blinky whispered to himself, to AAARRRGGHH!!!’s lifeless stone body. “for Jim. For Claire and Tobias.”

He looked at his oldest friend. “I should have told him, AAARRRGGHH!!!. He… he deserves to know.”

AAARRRGGHH!!! did not reply. He could not. He was stone. He was _dead_. 

But as Blinky gazed into his blank, stone eyes, he found the strength he had been looking for. 

“I will avenge you, my old friend.” His voice was stronger, now, full of something resembling hope. “I will save Jim. And you know what I’ll do then? I’ll tell him.

“I’m his father.

“And fathers protect their children.”

~~~

AAARRRGGHH!!! wasn’t dead. He was petrified, but he wasn’t dead.

Apparently, Creeper’s Sun didn’t kill, it petrified, and if you were smashed while petrified, that’s when you died.

The remaining Trollhunters now stood under the Arcadia bridge waiting for the Janus Order, who had the antidote, to arrive. They had made a deal: they would give the Changelings Vendel’s Heartstone staff in exchange for the antidote to the poison.

Headlights suddenly shone down into the canal. The Janus Order had arrived.

The antidote was almost theirs. 

~~~

The antidote was theirs. 

It had the most unusual ingredients, too: a live mouse, soured milk, a fragment of Heartstone.

Toby shrieked as he dropped said mouse into the cauldron they were using for the antidote. He grimaced and wiped his hands on his pants. “Gross.”

Claire coughed as she threw in the soured milk. “Double gross.” She backed up to stand next to Toby. She grasped his hand. 

Blinky was the last to approach the cauldron. In his hands he help a small chunk of orange crystal. He glanced at the children. Claire seemed to be holding her breath and Tobias was holding her hand tightly, his other hand grasping a piece of AAARRRGGHH!!!’s stone mane.

 _Please let this work,_ the Troll prayed. and not just for the children. For himself, as well. He missed his oldest friend greatly. He held the Heartstone above the cauldron.

“…And lastly, a fragment of Heartstone.”

Into the pot in went, and a massive cloud, blue and sparkling, erupted out of the cauldron. It enveloped AAARRRGGHH!!!, the children yelping and running away from the vapor. 

The cloud slowed, then, as if put in reverse, was suddenly sucked back into the pot. AAARRRGGHH!!! remained unchanged.

The group was silent for a moment, but then-

“It didn’t work?!” Claire yelled, fists clenched. “Ugh! The list they gave us was a phony! We were duped!” 

“” Toby sobbed. “It- it was supposed to _work!!_ ” The boy grabbed his friend’s outstretched petrified hand, tears streaming down his round cheeks.

Suddenly, the hand twitched. Toby gasped. Then the stone casing was gone revealing soft green fur and warm living stone. AAARRRGGHH!!! was _alive_.

Alive, and disoriented.

He grasped his head, groaning.

“Wingman!” Toby yelled happily. 

AAARRRGGHH!!!’s eyes snapped open. They weren’t a warm green. They were black with purple centers. AAARRRGGHH!!! _roared_ , the sound bouncing off the walls of the Forge. His carvings lit up as well, glowing the same purple as his eyes. The cauldron, and Blinky, were slammed out of the way as the larger Troll heedlessly raged.

“AAARRRGGHH!!!, stop!” Claire tried. No luck. “Toby, _RUN!_ ” 

Toby screamed as he suddenly found himself cornered by his friend. 

“AAARRRGGHH!!!!” Toby pleaded desperately. “C’mon, Wingman! It’s me! It’s Toby!”

AAARRRGGHH!!! paused. Toby held out his hands. AAARRRGGHH!!! roared again, and Toby flinched, expecting to be hit by his friend’s fists. Instead, the Troll pounded his fists against the wall behind Toby.

The boy looked up. The purple had faded from AAARRRGGHH!!!’s eyes, and the rage had faded from his face.

“Wing… man…” AAARRRGGHH!!! rumbled. Toby shrieked happily.

“Ah! He’s back!!” He threw his arms around AAARRRGGHH!!!’s neck, as far as he could reach. Claire laughed and joined in.

Blinky started to tear up. His oldest, closest friend was back and unchanged. Unchanged, save for the pulsating Amulet affixed to his chest. 

Draal clapped a hand on AAARRRGGHH!!!’s shoulder; the Krubera released the children to wrap his arms around Blinky.

“My old friend,” the scholar half gasped, half sobbed. “I’ve missed you.”

AAARRRGGHH!!! rumbled in agreement, but straightened when someone was missing from the reunion. He looked around, then glanced at the Amulet on his chest.

“Where’s Jim?”

~~~

Jim was in the Darklands. 

Now they were about to go into the Darklands as well.

After they had informed AAARRRGGHH!!! of Jim’s (rash) decision, the Soothscryer in the arena floor and opened up to admit the Krubera into the Void Between Worlds. There, he had apparently been told that he was the key to saving the Trollhunter. They needed a fellow Trollhunter to open Killahead Bridge (now located in the woods outside town), and AAARRRGGHH!!! had had a brush close enough to death that Kanjigar was able to take over his body for long enough to activate the Amulet half still on Earth.

And now they stood in front of the opened Bridge, the portal tugging at their hair, their clothes. Claire was armed with some sort of twisted metal, AAARRRGGHH!!! a rope, Blinky a flair, and Toby the task to make sure only Jim was rescued.

Kanjigar gave them one rotation of the Amulet’s arm to rescue Jim.

They charged in.

~~~

Blinky had studied to Darklands, the ancestral home of all Trolls, in depth. Nothing, however, of what he had read came even close to the twisted horror of the real thing. Spires of black rock and metal jutted from every surface, and a weak, bleary sun sort of thing hung in the clouded air. If it could even be called a sun, that is.

The four Trollhunters traversed the rocky paths, anxious to find their lost friend. Blinky rubbed a thumb against the flair nervously, anxiously. He was considering telling his friends his secret. If anything were to happen to him before he saw Jim again, he wanted someone to tell him of his heritage. That he was actually half Conundrum, that Bliny was his father.

“Hey, Blink, what’s wrong? You’ve been, like, really quiet.” Tobias spoke, coming up next to him. Claire and AAARRRGGHH!!! turned to look at him as well.

For a moment, Blinky considered brushing their concern off, to reassure them that he was concentrating on formulating a plan. 

But he dismissed the thought. Jim needed to know _somehow_.

“I- well,” Blinky started. He took a breath. “If… if anything were to happen to me… would you pass on a message to Master Jim?”

The others nodded, suddenly concerned. What could be so important?

Blinky inhaled. “Recently, I was turned human.”

Nods and confused glances.

“During that time, I discovered a photograph in Master Jim’s attic of Master Jim himself and a man suspected to Jim’s father.

“Except… except the man in the photograph was _me_. As- as a human.”

Toby suddenly pointed at him, making Blinky jump.

“I _knew_ you looked familiar like that _WAITYOU’REJIM’SDAD?!_ ”

Blinky nodded, heart beating hard in his stony chest. He let his six eyes focus on the path he traversed and not on his companions who were most likely looking at him with contempt in their eyes. He was a father who had abandoned his family, after all. “Vendel was able to confirm it.

“But I assure you, I had no idea,” he finally faced his friends. The children were startled, but not contemptuous, noticed numbly. “There… there was a spell cast upon he, apparently by Merlin himself, that caused me to tun human. That was why I disappeared all those years ago,” Blinky glanced at AAARRRGGHH!!!, who had an unreadable expression on his face. The scholar exhaled shakily. The truth was now out.

“The spell, I suspect, was why I- I was James at the time- left Jim and Barbara. The only thing I can remember is waking up in the forest apparently eight years later. I- I have no recollection of the time I spent as a human.” His shoulders hitched. What would they think of him now?

“…You know, it kinda makes sense,” Toby’s voice wan’t accusing or angry. It was more like he was realizing something.

“It does,” Claire agreed. She had the same tone of voice as Tobias. They both smiled reassuringly at the scholar. It really wasn’t his fault, after all.

Unexpectedly, AAARRRGGHH!!! laughed, startling both the humans and Blinky causing all three to nearly jump off the path.

“I’m sorry?!” Blinky gasped after regaining his footing.

AAARRRGGHH!!! grinned despite the somber mood of the Darklands. “Already knew. Wondered when you find out.”

“Huh- wha?!” Toby gasped. “How’d you know that?!”

“Smelled.”

Oh. _Oh_. AAARRRGGHH!!! had always had a keen sense of smell, better than Blinky’s. No wonder he already knew. He could _smell_ that Jim was his son.

AAARRRGGHH!!! grinned again. “Won’t tell Jim.”

Blinky opened his mouth to protest-

“You will.”

“That’s right!” Toby jogged ahead to catch up with his wingman. “You’re not getting off the hook that easily!”

“Toby and AAARRRGGHH!!! are right,” Claire patted his shoulder. “You can tell him yourself, because you’re gonna get of here, same as all of us.”

Taking in to confidant smiles of his friends (his family), Blinky knew it would be alright in the end. He would tell Jim, not matter how he reacted.

He owed it to both he and his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you hadn’t noticed yet, this skips over good chunks of time. This is intentional. We already know the basic plot of the story, I’m just tweaking things were and there to better fit with the story I’m telling. The next chapter will be set post-Jim’s rescue.
> 
> Credit goes to DarkInuFan for the idea that AAARRRGGHH!!! already knew Jim was Blinky’s son. A huge thank-you!
> 
> Come hmu on my Tumblr (@autumalfallingleaves) if you feel like it


	3. With Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim has been rescued from the Darklands. In the aftermath, Blinky finds himself starting to remember his life as James Lake, Sr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oi guess who finally got the time to write 
> 
> *points to self* This girl

Jim was safe. A little banged up, famined, and dehydrated, but alive. 

Blinky had never felt such relief as when Jim had finally stepped into the sunlight. Sunlight meant safety. It meant that Jim was _alive_ and out of the Darklands. 

It meant he could finally tell Jim he was his son. 

Well… not just yet. It was a good idea to let Jim recuperate; he shouldn’t unload such shocking news on him _just_ yet. 

Also, the children and AAARRRGGHH!!! kept giving him _looks_. 

Blinky studiously ignored them. He would tell Jim on his own time, thank you very much.

~~~

Jim had fallen asleep in the library. His head was pillowed on his arms, quiet breaths escaping his mouth. As Blinky puttered around the room re-shelving various books, he couldn’t stop glancing at the boy. Something… something was _there_ , at the back of his mind. What _was_ it? Why was it triggered by Jim sleeping? Why-

_Jim had fallen asleep at the table while coloring, his crayon limp in his small hand. Small snores could be heard. James smiled as he cleaned the kitchen. Jim had most likely tired himself out by playing with Tobias, or Toby, as the small boy liked to be called, their new neighbor. He glanced at the clock. Barbara wouldn’t be back for a while yet, and it was rapidly approaching Jim’s bedtime._

_Carefully, as to not wake his son, James gently maneuvered Jim into his arms. Instinctively, without even waking a little bit, Jim wrapped his arms around his father’s shoulders and his legs around his waist. He had been doing this ever since he was an infant; Barbara and James had gotten used to their son latching onto them whenever they went to pick him up when he was tired or asleep._

Blinky dropped the books he had been holding. Where- what-

_Was that a memory?!_

He gripped his horns. After over a decade of wondering what had transpired over those eight years, a memory?! Now?! But what had-

He looked back at Jim, who was blissfully unaware of the scholar’s internal crisis. His head was pillowed on his arms…

…Just like Jim had been in the memory. 

But this had not happened before now. Was it possible that, by learning of his relation to Jim, he had unlocked (so to speak) the part of his mind that contained these memories?

He most likely would never know. 

He had this memory now, however. And he would cherish it. 

Tentatively, Blinky ran a gentle hand over Jim’s hair, freezing when the boy shifted. He did not wake, and Blinky, with a relieved sigh, kept petting his son’s head. 

It was peaceful for a few minutes, Blinky stroking Jim’s hair, when-

“He’s always like it when someone pats his head.”

The scholar nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed that Tobias was standing in the entryway of the library. He blinked.

“Tobias! Have you finished your training for today?”

“Yeah, and Claire did, too. She went home already, though. Had to babysit Enrique. I wanted to come and check on Jimbo.” He gestured to his friend. “I think he should go home, actually. Dr. L has been a little on edge recently. Said he’s been acting weird.”

Indeed the boy had been. He was chipper to the point there it got on your nerves. Tobias continued. “But I don’t want to wake him up. He needs the sleep.”

Blinky nodded in agreement. Jim had constantly been on the move ever since he returned. He made a snap decision. 

“I’ll carry him home,” Blinky gestured to Jim, “through Draal’s tunnels. Provided Barbara isn’t there, of course.”

Tobias shrugged. “She won’t be back until later tonight.”

“Excellent.”

Carefully, as to not wake the boy (he wouldn’t, though; Jim was dead to the world), Blinky hoisted Jim out of his chair and into his arms. In response, Jim just wrapped his arms and legs around the Troll. Tobias giggled. 

“And what is so funny, Tobias?” Blinky quipped while trying to secure Jim in a manner that he wouldn’t wake. 

“Well, Jim only imitates a koala when Dr. L tries to pick him up.”

Quietly leaving the library, Blinky continued to listen to Tobias as he chattered on. “And, like, he’s been doing that ever since he was little. I think Dr. L said once that he only did that to her and James Sr- that’s you- and no one else.”

Blinky hummed, processing Tobias’ words. That sounded familiar. 

“It makes sense in a way,” he whispered. Tobias shot him a look.

“You see, Tobias, Troll whelps have an instinct in which they will cling to their parents in sleep-”

“-And ‘cause you’re his dad, Jim’s half Troll!” Tobias finished excitedly. “Oh my gosh, it all makes sense now!”

Before Blinky could ask _What makes sense now?_ , Tobias barreled on. 

“Jim’s got, like, these _reaaalllly_ weird habits, okay? He chews pencils like he’s _eating_ them! I’ve even had to stop him from eating his cooking spoons! I’ve even seen him eat _sand_ , too! Oh, oh, oh, Jim also, like, can move his eyes in different directions- which is really creepy, not gonna lie- and, like-“

“Tobias!” Blinky interrupted, waving a hand. “Where is Deya’s name are you _going_ with this?!”

“I’m saying Jim has some Trollish habits!” The boy gesticulated wildly. “I thought it was weird, but brushed it off as Jim being Jim, y’know? But you being Jim’s dad makes _so much sense_ ‘cause those weird habits of Jim’s? They’re his Troll side!”

All six of Blinky’s eyes widened. “…How long has he been displaying these… habits?” Because if he had still been around when Jim started acting Trollish…

…How had he and Barbara responded?

“As long as I’ve known him,” Tobias huffed. “but like I said, I passed it off as Jim being Jim.

“He grew out of a lot of the _eating stuff he shouldn’t_ phase, but he’s still got the pencil habit-”

“I see.” Blinky murmured quietly, one hand rubbing Jim’s back absently. The boy relaxed under the gentle pressure. “And what of Barbara? How did she take Jim’s… habits?”

“You mean your wife?” Tobias teased. Blinky glared and the boy raised his hands in a planting gesture. “Alright, alright, geez. No sense of humor.

“Uh, Dr. L diagnosed it as an OCD thing. Got him on some meds. I think they helped a bit.”

Blinky nodded. The two fell into silence, the only noises being their footfalls in the stone tunnel out of Trollmarket and Jim’s quiet breaths. 

They eventually came to a blockage in the tunnel: a latticework of stone and wood blocking the entrance to Draal’s entrance to the Lakes’ basement. Tobias rapped twice. 

There was a moment of silence before a rumbling sounded; the wall slid aside to reveal Draal the Deadly, protector of Jim and Barbara Lake. The Troll huffed at the sight of Jim, who slept on. 

“Finally wore himself out, did he?”

“Indeed. Is Barbara home yet?”

“The Trollhunter’s mother remains at the healing center.”

“Good.” Blinky sighed. It was better that they did not wake the boy. Draal side eyed him as he passed into the basement. The scholar sighed again. _Not him too…_

“When will you inform Jim of your relation?” Draal queried as Blinky made his way to the stairs. Tobias crossed his arms and mumbled in agreement. 

(Draal knew, of course; the children had made him tell Jim’s sworn protector.)

Blinky huffed. “In due time. He has enough on his mind at the moment.”

“When does he not?” Tobias called as the Troll exited the basement. Blinky scowled. Tobias didn’t understand. None of them did. He hesitated to tell Jim because he didn’t want to be… to be rejected as the father of his son. Jim hated James Sr, so, by extension, he hated Blinky, even though he did not know the two were one and the same. 

The Troll blinked his three pairs of eyes rapidly, suddenly emotional. He took a deep, shuddering breath. He couldn’t afford to break down here. Here, with his son in his arms. He needed to stop all these negative thoughts. They would do him no good. He crept up the stairs to the second floor. 

…What had it been like, living in this house with Barbara and Jim? He assumed that they had been happy… he _felt_ , more than anything, that they had been a family who had loved one another dearly.

Maybe that’s why he had bonded with Jim so quickly after he had Become. They were father and son; they had loved each other as family long before Jim was Chosen as Trollhunter. 

Blinky opened the door to Jim’s room. 

But all that… it had to account for _something_ , right? Perhaps it meant that Jim _wouldn’t_ react negatively when Blinky finally revealed to him that he was, in fact, his biological father.

It was up in the air at this point. 

Blinky sighed as he settled Jim on his bed, pulling the covers to his chin. He loved his boy, that much he knew for sure. 

He did mean to tell him, at some point.

And as Blinky ran a hand over Jim’s hair one last time before departing, he told himself that he would confess their relation soon. 

~~~

AAARRRGGHH!!! was waiting for him when he finally returned to his library dwell. 

The Krubera rumbled. “Jim go home?”

Blinky huffed mirthfully. “More like I carried him home. The poor boy worked himself into the ground today and fell asleep while studying.”

“Sounds like you,” AAARRRGGHH!!! grinned. 

“Oh, hush you,” Blinky slapped at his friend’s arm, but there was no heat behind it or his words. Hm. Maybe Jim was more like him than he originally thought. 

Without warning, as the scholar picked up a book he had dropped earlier, his mind turned to the memory revealed to him earlier. He must have noticeably sobered, for AAARRRGGHH!!! poked at him worriedly with a gentle hand. 

“What wrong?”

“My friend, I…” Blinky trailed off, clutching the book he held. He tried again. “I believe I… remembered something today. From- from my absence.”

AAARRRGGHH!!! startled, making a questioning noise. Blinky sighed and relaxed his grip on the book. “Jim was young child. He had fallen asleep at the table while coloring. I put him to bed.”

AAARRRGGHH!!! plunked down, and the smaller Troll followed suit, leaning against his friend’s chest.

“Tell Jim when?” The Krubera asked gently. He knew this was a sensitive topic for the smaller Conundrum. 

“I- I don’t know,” Blinky wiped quickly at his eyes, emotions from earlier suddenly resurfacing. AAARRRGGHH!!! nuzzled him, and he let out a soft, not-quite-but-close sob. “I just… I’m _scared_ tell him, old friend.” The confession hung in the air, prompting exposition. 

AAARRRGGHH!!! remained quiet as Blinky found himself starting to explain between ever-increasing sobs just _how frightened_ he was of being rejected as Jim’s father.

After a while, Blinky eventually fell asleep right there on the library’s floor, supported physically and emotionally by his best friend.

His heart was lighter, after the confession of his fear; airing out your worries is the first step in alleviating them, after all. 

~~~

Over the next couple of weeks, the scholar continued to remember his life before, the one with Jim and Barbara. 

The littlest things would trigger a memory, such as Jim, Claire, and Toby having an impromptu soccer match with an old Gorb, Jim cooking while singing along to music while all five Trollhunters are at the Lake house for a night, the museum… anything.

And each time, he would tell the others. Tobias was often the one to confirm that, yes, that had happened, or yes, Jim really _was_ like that when he was younger. 

However, Blinky kept the more personal ones to himself. 

Like cradling an infant Jim in his arms while Barbara slept, singing him a lullaby while the boy cooed happily at his father.

Or the memory that had surfaced at Claire’s house. The Troll had spotted a photograph of Claire’s parents at their wedding and was suddenly hit with memories of rings and soft words and while gowns and cheering voices. 

He remembered loving this kind woman with fire in her hair and in her heart. 

And he left her. Her, the woman he had loved, who he now found himself loving again, now that he remembered her, and their beautiful, wonderful son.

His memories of Barbara were precious; he kept them to himself. 

He kept getting asked if he remembered her. Of course he did, he would reply, but those memories were for him.

And so, life was, well, not great, but decent. 

Until it wasn’t.

~~~

Vendel was dead. Dead. Killed by Usurna, that traitor. No more.

And now Blinky was Elder of Heartstone Trollmarket’s denizens.

He rubbed a hand over Vendel’s- his staff. His wooden staff. Wooden, not Heartstone. They had needed that staff to save AAARRRGGHH!!!. 

He had sent the children home. They needed rest after all that had just transpired. 

Vendel was _dead_. 

And Jim had nearly died, as well. Jim was the first to survive the Deep. 

Blinky had been in near-hysterics from the terror of losing his son _for good_. He could’ve _died_.

And Blinky still- even after the Darklands, even after they had lost Draal to Gunmar- still hadn’t told Jim. 

He couldn’t wait anymore. He couldn’t. 

The danger was _real_ , now. Gunmar had been released. He was in Arcadia, in _Trollmarket_. Jim could die anyway; they were all at the mercy of Gunmar and his allies. They could attack, could _kill them_ , at any time.

Blinky took a deep breath as he led his Trolls to safety, mind made up. This could be his last chance. There was the possibility that one or both of them could die. 

It was time to tell Jim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After much worrying and panicking by one TrollDad, we finally get The Big Reveal! I’m very excited to write it. More Blinky angst! Yay!! Very much fun to write!!
> 
> No, but seriously, writing Blinky is like writing myself, except with more panicking. I love him so much. 
> 
> I may not ship BlAAARRRGGHHy, but I do think those two are lifelong QPPs and thus, I write them as such. They'll always be there for each other.
> 
> A lot of Jim’s Trollish habits were inspired by comments made by DarkInuFan. Those are some really good ideas and I love them, thank you very much uwu
> 
> Also, the koala thing? I kiiiiinda teased that in an art post I made recently on my Tumblr blog ;) If you’re over there, maybe you saw it
> 
> Wanna scream with me? Hmu on my Tumblr! @autumnalfallingleaves


	4. Telling Jim Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blinky has finally worked up the courage to tell Jim he is James, Sr.- Jim's biological father. 
> 
> Jim does not take it well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long. Everything kinda happened at once after I posted, and I didn't have any time to write until this past week.

After evacuating Trollmarket via Claire’s largest portal yet, the Trolls had found refuge in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Arcadia. It wasn’t ideal and was cramped beyond belief, but it was the best shelter Blinky could find for them for the time being. 

They patrolled every night, as well. They needed to be on the lookout for GummGumm scouts seeking their location. Blinky, being as resourceful as he has, had used the Geomancy he knew to establish a perimeter that the dark Trolls could not breach, provided the barrier made of signs remained unbroken. Claire, bless her feisty soul, had been more than happy and willing to lend her mother’s political signs to the cause. 

She’d sometimes accompany him on patrol as well, as would Tobias and AAARRRGGHH!!!. Jim, however, was Blinky’s companion most often. The scholar suspected this was the others’ way of giving him the time and chance to tell Jim without anyone overhearing. 

This was one such night, with Jim chattering away over a snack of trailmix. Blinky was trying to listen, he really was, but… he was too preoccupied. 

This was the night he was telling the truth, after all. 

He was trying to figure out a good segway into his confession when Jim spoke up:

“And then I- hey, Blink, are you okay? You look, I dunno, more worried than usual.”

Blinky was tempted to brush his boy’s worries off, but hesitated. Quite honestly, it was now or never. He doubted he’d get a chance like this again. 

Blinky gritted his teeth and stopped, turning to Jim. The boy stopped as well, confused. What was wrong? The worry was etched on his young features. 

Blinky gripped the wooden staff tightly. “…Master Jim. There is something you need to know.”

“Yeah?” Jim blinked. 

The scholar shakily withdrew the photograph from one of the pouches on his belt. The had kept it with him all this time. “Do you remember, Master Jim, when I was temporarily human and had to hide in the attic of your house to avoid detection by your mother?”

“Yeah. That was awkward.” The human chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well, I…” Blinky took a deep breath. “I found something you might want to see.”

Wordlessly, he handed the photograph to Jim. He took it curiously, brow furrowed. He glanced at the Troll, confused, before unfolding the photograph. Jim’s forehead creased even more as he studied the two figures in the picture. 

“Blink…?”

“I was as confused as you are, Master Jim. I… took that to Vendel and he provided he with an explanation.

“Many have forgotten about it, but, a number of years ago, I vanished from Trollmarket, and was missing for eight years.” He avoided Jim’s questioning gaze as he told his story. “I did not remember where I had been all those years, and what I had been doing. But, ah, after I discovered that photograph, the pieces began to fall into place, as one might say.

“When I brought this to Vendel, he… divined that I had been under a spell- of Merlin’s doing, in fact- that… transformed me into a human during the years I was absent.

“And apparently, during that time, I met your mother, and we-”

“Stop.” Jim’s voice, hard and disbelieving, interrupted him. “Let me get this straight. You’re telling me that _this man_ here-” he shook the photograph angrily, “-is- is _you_?! You’re my _father_?!”

“Jim, I-” Blinky reached out, heart breaking. This was exactly what he had feared. That Jim would be angry, would reject him. 

“You- you left us,” Jim was quieter now, tears gathering on his lashes. “you left me, you left Mom- actually how is this possible? A _spell_?!”

Blinky swallowed. “Yes. It- it made me leave. I remember enough now to know that I never wanted to leave you. You, or your mother.” He went to place a comforting hand on Jim’s shoulder, but the boy batted it away. 

“I can’t believe this,” he seethed. “you’ve known for, what, a couple months? And you didn’t tell me?!”

“Jim, I-” Blinky tried again. He wanted to fix this. He wanted everything to be okay. He wanted his son to be happy, not- not angry, not frustrated at him.

“No!” Jim glared at him, a tear rolling down his cheek. “I can’t believe you!”

“Please…”

Jim stepped back.

“You left me…” he whispered, before turning and running off.

“Jim!” Blinky yelled after him. This was the worst-case scenario. This was horrible. 

When Jim started running harder, running until he was out of sight, Blinky couldn’t stop a soft whine from escaping his throat. “Jim…”

“Not go well?” 

…Of course AAARRRGGHH!!! had seen the whole spectacle.

Blinky huffed, crossing his arms defensively and avoiding his friend’s eyes as he lumbered over. “What does it look like?”

The Krubera bumped his head against Blinky’s. “Call Toby.”

“Pardon?”

AAARRRGGHH!!! rumbled. “Toby and Jim old friends. Toby calm Jim.”

The scholar sighed wearily. This was too much in too little time. “Of course. I’ll- I’ll do that.”

He grabbed his smartphone out of his pocket and punched in Tobias’ number. It rang once, twice- 

“Heeeeyyyy Blinky! What’s up?”

“Hello Tobias-“

“Oh, hey, Claire’s here, too. Let me put you on speaker.”

There was a rustling noise, and suddenly Claire could be heard as well. “Hey, Blinky!”

“Hello Claire, Tobias. Might you be able to help me with something?”

“Wassup?”

“I told Jim.”

One of the children sucked in a breath (Blinky couldn’t tell who), and Claire said sympathetically, “I’m guessing he didn’t take it well.”

The Troll’s heavy sigh told them everything. 

Tobias’ voice cam through the phone next. “Hey, we’ll try to talk some sense into him. Try to tell him it’s not your fault.”

Blinky blinked rapidly, suddenly emotional. “Thank you, Tobias. I highly doubt he’ll listen to me at this point.”

“Yeah, Jimbo can be really stubborn- wait, hold on, I think that’s him now-”

“He’s running really fast-”

“He just went into his house- hey Claire, can you call him? Tell him to come over here.”

“Sure, hold on.” There was a click, and the call was taken off speaker. Tobias spoke. 

“Claire’s calling him now. Don’t worry, Blink. We’ll talk him out of it.”

Blinky exhaled softly. “Thank you, Tobias. Thank Claire for me as well.”

“‘Course. Bye, Blinky; see ya!”

He hung up, a lump in his throat.

“Talk to Jim?”

“They will, yes.”

“Blinky okay?”

The Conundrum turned to face his friend, breath shaky.

“…I don’t think I am…”

AAARRRGGHH!!! enveloped him in a tight hug, and Blinky finally let himself break down, jagged heart hurting more than any physical wound.

~~~

Meanwhile, Claire dialed Jim’s number. Her friend’s phone rung a couple of times before he picked up.

“Hello?” His voice was rough, as though he’d been crying. 

“Hey, Jim.”

“Hey, Claire.”

“How are you?”

“…Fine…”

“You don’t sound fine.

“Toby and I are at his house. Wanna come over and talk about it?”

“…Not really, but… okay.”

Claire smiled sadly. Jim really did shoulder the weight of the world. “You’ll be okay, Jim.”

Jim chuckled weakly. “I don’t know about that.”

“Alright, now I’m missing that overenthusiastic optimism you had when you got out of the Darklands… and that’s saying something.”

“Hey!” Jim laughed, but this time, it was a real laugh. “Fine, fine, I’ll be over in a second.”

“Good. Bye, Jim.”

“Bye, Claire.”

He hung up and she followed suit shortly after.

It had been a long month.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe
> 
> Also, I'm sorry if Jim came off as OOC. I was going for a "WTF my trainer that I trust and see as my surrogate father and better than my bio father is actually my bio father who abandoned my mother and I when I was five and has known for a while and didn't tell me?!" vibe
> 
> Aaaaahh, TrollFam angst. The best kind of angst!
> 
> Find me on my Tumblr! @autumnalfallingleaves


	5. Telling Jim Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the confession, Jim ponders his next course of action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo~
> 
> Look, I'm so sorry this took a while. School and work and play have been kicking my butt and I haven't had a lot of time to write. Yes, I put a hiatus tag on because I have no idea when I'll have time to write. But don't worry! I'm not abandoning this story for anything. 
> 
> Also, I sorta hint at Jlaireby in this chapter, but it's not flat-out stated nor will I tag it. If you don't like Jlaireby, you can just see it as three best friends. But if you do ship it (like I do), you just hafta sorta squint to see it.

Unceremoniously, Jim collapsed on Toby’s bed. The boy let out a drawn-out groan. Toby patted his back.

 

“You wanna talk about it, Jimbo?”

 

Jim rolled over and huffed. “…Not really.”

 

“Aw, c’mon, Jimbo! I’m your best friend! I can handle anything you throw at me.”

 

Jim chuckled slightly. Not really what he was going for with that, but he appreciated the other boy’s enthusiasm. He sat up and hugged his knees, Toby and Claire sitting down on the bed and scooching over to sandwich him between them. The put an arm each around his back in a loose side-hug. He relaxed into their comfort.

 

“What would you do…” Jim spoke after a minute, “…what would you di if you found out someone you trusted used to be someone else you didn’t trust?”

 

Toby and Claire exchanged a wince. Oh boy.

 

“Well… kinda sounds like this isn’t a hypothetical. What happened, Jimbo?”

 

Jim shook his head despondently. “So I just found out th-that _Blinky_ , who I trusted, is actually my _father_! _He’s_ James Lake, Sr, but apparently, he doesn’t remember it because of a _spell_. A _spell_?! I just- how?! He knew for _months_ and didn’t tell me?!” Jim spat out the words in a rush, burying his hands in his hair. “I _trusted_ him…”

 

He sobbed, and Toby and Claire held him tighter, not saying anything. How could they? They had known for a while now, and, like Blinky, hadn’t said anything. They were guilty as well.

 

It went on like this for a while, Jim sobbing into his knees and Claire and Toby silently (guiltily) held him.

 

~~~

 

Jim had calmed down enough that he wasn’t crying anymore, but stared ahead of himself, eyes unfocused. He had his head on Toby’s shoulder. He seemed to be collecting himself, and finally, he spoke.

 

“…You knew about this, didn’t you.” It was spoken as a statement, not a question. It was soft, devoid of emotion. Claire squeezed his hand.

 

“Yeah.” She sighed. “Blinky told us when we were looking for you in the Darklands. He wanted someone to tell you if he couldn’t…”

 

“…And we told him he could do it himself ‘cause we’d all get out of there alive. Which we did, but, like, we still wanted Blink to tell you himself.” Toby finished. “We’re sorry, dude.”

 

Jim rubbed at his nose and sighed. He guessed it wasn’t their fault after everything was said and done. They were just trying to help (?) him.

 

Toby eventually broke his train of thought. “…Well, I guess you could look at it this way,” the grin on the boy’s face was one Jim knew well- it was the grin that always appeared right before Toby cracked a bad joke. “you’re not really James Lake, Jr. anymore, ‘cause there wasn’t really a James Lake, Sr. to begin with.”

 

Jim stared at him, confused, while understanding blossomed on Claire’s face, making her grin.

 

Toby’s grin was positively _evil_ now. “You’re more like _Blinkous Galadrigal Junior_.”

 

A pause, then-

 

“Tobes, _no_ ,” Jim groaned into his hands while Claire cackled, galling back on the bed.

 

“What?! It’s true! You’re named for your dad, and who’s your dad? Blinky!”

 

“Too soon, too soon…” Jim mumbled, head thrown back. “Couldn’t you _wait_?”

 

“Nope!” Toby popped the _P_ at the end. “You need to laugh. Don’t they say laughter is the best cure for… uh, whatever?”

 

Jim stared at Toby with an unimpressed expression. “But I’m not laughing.”

 

Toby stared right back.

 

Jim stared.

 

Toby stared.

 

Jim stared.

 

Toby stared. 

Jim, finally, unable to keep a straight face, cracked a smile.

 

Toby, seeing this, grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. Jim snorted- then started laughing in earnest.

 

“Heeeeeyyyyy!” Toby crowed and threw his arms up. “There we go! Toby: 1, Jim’s anxiety: 0!”

 

Claire clapped. She couldn’t help but laugh as well.

 

After a couple of minutes, the laughter died down and the three had ended up in a sort of cuddle pile. Toby poked Jim.

 

“How you feeling, Jimbo?”

 

Jim shrugged. “Better.”

 

When it became clear he wasn’t to elaborate, Claire nudged him. “And?”

 

Jim shrugged again. “I mean, I guess I can see why you didn’t tell me about… this.” He gestured vaguely. “And… well, out of all the possible people, I’m… glad? That _Blinky_ turned out to be my dad.

 

“And if he didn’t really mean to leave, like, it wasn’t his fault, I… guess I could forgive him.”

 

Claire patted his back. “You don’t have to forgive him right now. I think we’ve all had enough heavy emotions for one night.”

 

Jim nodded tiredly. Toby clasped his hand.

 

“Yeah, why don’t you crash here for the night? Claire, call your parents, see if they’ll let you stay as well.”

 

“Sure thing.” The girl got up and grabbed her phone. She punched in a number and waited for someone to pick up. “Hola, Papa. Can I stay over at Toby’s tonight?”

 

As Claire talked to her father, Jim quickly left a voice mail for his mother.

 

While the two here distracted, Toby shot off a quick text before grabbing various blankets and queuing up a movie for the three to watch.

 

Not twenty minutes later, Jim was passed out between his two best friends, face relaxed and breaths even. Toby and Claire shared a look. Jim needed this.

 

~~~

 

Meanwhile, back at the warehouse, a certain Troll’s phone chimed. It went unnoticed; the Troll the cellphone belonged to had long since fallen asleep, exhausted from the release of so many pent-up emotions.

 

_To: Blinky_

 

_From: Tobias_

 

_Tobias: hey blink, jims ok_

 

_Tobias: hes just rlly tired_

 

_Tobias: were all crashing at my place 2nite_

 

_Tobias: i think he wants to forgive u_

 

_Tobias: but its gonna take a bit_

 

_Tobias: but i think hes happy??? idk_

 

_Tobias: we’ll see you tomorrow_

 

_Tobias: night_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you. Know. How long I've been waiting to use the Blinkous Galadrigal, Jr. joke. Do you KNOW how long. FOREVER. Ever since I thought of this story. 
> 
> I think I'm funny :3
> 
> My Tumblr: @autumnalfallingleaves
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE (added Feb. 16 2020): it's come to my attention that an app (or apps) is now taking or mirroring fancontent- such as fanfic like this one right here- and putting it on its platform, which then charges a subscription/ads fee. I don't have all the details, but you can check out the Tumblr post that brought this to my attention here: https://autumnalfallingleaves.tumblr.com/post/190864806662
> 
> So, if you are, in fact, not reading this on AO3 and on an app or another site, please know that I did not give my permission for my stories to be taken. Thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Father’s Day! TrollDad is best dad!!
> 
> Okay, so this is legit a crack theory I came up with a while ago because we’re all dying from the lack of information on the rest of the ToA and I’m becoming desperate for any new TrollDad content (Dreamworks please I’m literally begging you). Yeah. I am going to continue this, and since I’m out of school, I’ll have time to write. So be on the lookout! (I write slow, though, so please be patient.)
> 
> Also, how about that 3Below update??? Heck yeah! Less than a month left till season 2!!
> 
> If you feel like it, come and scream with/at me on Tumblr: @autumnalfallingleaves


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